If you thought it was hard to compete against a larger company for customers, imagine running a campaign tour bus company and discovering the government is now offering candidates Secret Service-owned tour buses.
“The government went into competition with me,†Williams told The Daily Caller. “Something is not right, or fair about this.â€
Williams, whose company John L. Productions has leased buses to presidential campaigns since 1988, fears he could now lose business over it.
“This eliminates the need for my services,†he said, “thus killing off another small business owner.â€
In the past, the Secret Service would pay to install extra security features on buses candidates under their protection would lease from people like Williams.
His company’s history of driving around presidents and presidential candidates span from George H.W. Bush in 1988 to John McCain in 2008. Other candidates who have used his buses include Pat Robertson, Pat Buchanan, Bob Dole, Steve Forbes, George W. Bush, Gary Bauer, John Edwards, John Kerry and Sam Brownback.
In an interview, Ed Donovan, a spokesman for the Secret Service, said the buses were purchased to offer those under their protection the option of using a more secure bus.
“We’re not trying to hurt anybody’s business,†Donovan responded.
Photo by National Assembly for Wales